Pedagogical school during the years of the Great Patriotic War.

"All for the front, all for the victory!"

War years brought hard trials into the school. Almost all the men-teachers were mobilized to the front. S.I.Zhukovsky - a teacher of Literature, G.S.Yermushkin - a teacher of History, K.I.Mansurov, G.L.Andronov - a head of studies, F.I.Volkov - a teacher of Psychology. A.A.Kumanev went to the front voluntarily. Training buildings worked as hospitals. Studies were at cramped rooms of the old hostel and in Veterinarian technician building in two shifts. The classrooms were not only cramped but cold and dark. Paraffin lamps (so called "koptilki") which often went out because of a shortage of oxygen in the classrooms, gave a light.

Students were oppressed by starve existence. According to the cards they were given 400g of bread, some sugar and fat. But the village students those scanty rations were not always given to. They had to eat the homemade food. A students' canteen helped a little to overcome a starve by cooking dinners, which consisted of simple mashed vegetables pure.

N.D.Andronova was appointed the director of school for the war years, and S.P.Radayeva was appointed a head of studies. These two strong-willed and determined women skillfully organized the work of pedagogical school. The contingent of students was small, not more than 300 people. Receiving annually consisted of 4 groups, 25 people in each. Groups were called "classes" as at school and marked by letters. Class 'A' was made up of the graduators of Lukoyanov schools, class 'B' - of Russian village school graduators, classes 'V' and 'G' - of the graduators of the Mordvinian schools.

The war touched all the sides of the training school life. A great attention was paid to the military preparation. It was organized by I.A.Prusakov. Non- commissioned officer of the Tsar Army, who took part in the World war I, he was not mobilized onto the Red Army because of his age. Everybody was surprised with the endless energy of this elderly man. He was convinced that the graduators of the school would have to take part in war actions, so he did everything possible to get them ready for the Army. Military preparation was taught according to the Programme of the Ministry of Military Affairs. A combatant service, military sanitary and kinds of weapon were learned there. Students were organized as they were at military divisions: there were a company, a platoon, and a section with the commanders in head.

It was not a game with toy soldiers, but it was a serious military preparation according to the Regulations of the Red Army. Ivan Andreyevich along with senior students helped a lot to the Lukoyanov military registration and enlistment office in the military preparation of recruits. 40 submachine gunners, 30 machine gunners, 50 destroyers of tanks, 120 instructors of the Aircraft Defense, and 15 snipers were prepared there. For an exemplary military preparation I.A.Prusakov was awarded a diploma and a military insignia "For the defense work" by the Central Committee of Voluntary Association for Assisting Army, Air Force and Navy. The students took part in building of defending lines. In Autumn of 1941, the group consisting of 50 students of the pedagogical school and heading by A.M. Zhuravleva took part in building of the defending line before Moscow. For an excellent organization of the work, Anna Mikhailovna was awarded a medal "For the defending of Moscow". Students and teachers signed for the adoptions, and collected warm clothes. D.A.Taskin gave his only warm coat and warm shoes to the fund of the defense. When he was told the he needed it himself, he answered: "That's why I give, because somebody needs them more than me". He himself had been wearing a shabby demi-season coat, old soldier's boots but no gloves at all.

The students had to do all the household works. The most difficult and laborious work was preparing of the firewood. They needed about 300-400 m³ of it annually. If they succeeded to move it out of the forest in summertime, they sawed and chopped it in time, but if they didn't, they had to do it in winter what was more difficult.

The war constantly disturbed the life of the school by mobilization of the senior students. Many students went to the front voluntarily, such as Dusya Makarycheva, Nicolai Belyayev and others. Not only boys but girls went to the front, too. The hospitals located in the best buildings of the town reminded about the war. The students constantly took a patronage of the hospitals, in the nighttime they often moved wounded men from the railway station, made presents for them, organized concerts. Mournful news came to the school from the front. In 1943 during the liberation of Belorussia a director of the pedagogical school F.A.Kargayev was killed, and in 1944 a teacher of Literature S.I.Zhukovsky was killed too. During the war years 55 graduators of the school perished. Their names aren't forgotten. All of them you can see on the board of the Eternal Memory.

But there were some good news from the front about our graduators' feats. In 1943 for the heroism and courage during the forcing of the Danube the 1939 year graduator F.V.Vanin was awarded the high title of the Hero of the Soviet Union. The hero was only 20 years old that time. (General-lieutenant F.V.Vanin died in 1996). In 1944 during the forcing of the West Dvina another graduator of the school I.Y.Malyshev was awarded the high title of the Hero of the Soviet Union, too. (Nowadays colonel-general I.Y.Malyshev lives in Moscow). Wounded senior students returned from the front and continued studying again, such as Bogomolov, Belyayev, Makarycheva and others.

Despite all the difficulties of the war times, the main task - the task of the preparation of the primary school teachers - the pedagogical school decided successfully. Annually 70-75 teachers graduated from the school. During the war years the pedagogical school prepared 291 primary school teachers. Those days graduators are very grateful to their teachers as they said about in their memories, because they gave them a good preparation for work at school. 1945 year graduator D.I.Kopylov - Doctor of Historical Science nowadays - in his memories especially notes the oldest school's teacher D.A.Taskin. "He was a widely- erudite, well-read teacher with brilliant memory. He taught us Geography very well. His stories were full of details taken out from the extra literature and were excellent original opinions. His wife K.P.Taskina was an excellent methodologist and a teacher of Calligraphy. She was one of the teachers of Lukoyanov who was awarded Lenin's Order" - Kopylov wrote.

Dmitry Ivanovich Kopylov called a teacher of Russian Language and Literature M.A.Vinokurova as a "heaven-born teacher". She was completely devoted to her profession. She knew her subject very well and taught it enthusiastically. She astonished by her deep and detailed knowledge of the literature works, which she often cited by heart. Students admired by her kindness, tact and attention to their needs. During the wartime she gave one third of her bread card to her student Yefim Volodin and so she helped him to finish his studies.

An important part for the creation of better preparation of primary school teachers played the organization a basic school for the pedagogical school needs. It was founded in 1944 according to the Order ¹123 of the Committee of the Education of Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on March, 27, 1944. It was located in a wooden building with 4 classrooms not far from the pedagogical school. The first head of studies of the basic school was appointed A.L.Loginova, and then - A.F.Bogolyubova, later - A.K.Vidmanova, M.I.Sokolov, R.N.Yuzhalina, A.S.Smirnov, A.M.Pegova and Y.N.Kornilov.

Two of the graduators of the wartime D.I.Kopylov and D.Y.Yegorov became the Doctors of Science.